Knights of the Old Republic
by princebejitasama
Summary: 4,000 years before the Chosen One became the Dark Lord, the Galaxy is plunged into darkness by a near invincible Sith Armada.  Based around the Xbox/PC Game of the same title
1. Prologue: The Endar Spire

_A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…_

_Four thousand years before the rise of the Galactic Empire, the Republic verges on collapse. Darth Malak, last surviving apprentice of the Dark Lord Revan, has unleashed an invincible Sith armada upon an unsuspecting galaxy. Crushing all resistance, Malak's war of conquest has left the Jedi Order scattered and vulnerable as countless Knights fall in battle, and many more swear allegiance to the new Sith Master._

_ In the skies above the Outer Rim world of Taris, a Jedi battle fleet engages the forces of Darth Malak in a desperate effort to halt the Sith's galactic domination…_

**PROLOGUE:** The Endar Spire.

There was a quiet calm on the bridge of the Hammerhead-class Republic Cruiser as it drifted on the edge of the Taris system. Officers darted between terminals, almost casually piloting the vessel through a thin asteroid field that bordered the system.

Bastila Shan, Jedi Knight, stood looking out of the forward observation window, deep in thought. A nagging feeling was eating at the back of her mind, a feeling that something wasn't quite right. "Anything out of the ordinary, Onasi?" she asked, looking down at the man in the pilot's chair.

"Comm chatter is clear, no ships detected in the immediate vicinity…" The man at the helm was Carth Onasi, a Republic war hero and one of the greatest pilots in the galaxy. "Port thrusters are running a little hot though. Got one of the service droids down there sorting it out." He drummed his fingers on the dash, then glanced back up at Bastila. "Apart from that, smooth sailing in calm wa-"

Onasi spoke too soon. The ship lurched forward, several of the officers falling to the ground. Bastila fell onto the command console, shooting Carth a rather angry look. "I really wish you hadn't said that… Status report!" She shouted to the room at large.

Swift Sith fighters zoomed past the windows, peppering the hull with laser fire. "Sith Fighters!" yelled a young officer as she clung to her terminal. "They've appeared out of nowhere! And their numbers are increasing!"

"Our deflector shields are holding up, but we can't sustain this much damage for an extended period." Carth informed Bastila as he swayed in his chair.

"Return fire and prepare to jump to Hyperspace!" Bastila ordered, as the ship was pelted with another wave of fire. "Those bloody Sith won't be taking us down, not today!"

The Endar Spire's thrusters ignited, zooming towards the dusky orb of Taris and the Hyperspace route which ran beside it. The ion cannons whirred into life while green and red lights lit up the vacuum of space around them like exploding stars.

"Bombers inbound! I repeat, bombers in bound!" The heftier bombing vessels shot towards the fleeing Cruiser, keeping tight formation, weaving between the returning fire from the Spire's hindquarter turrets.

"Where are these bastards coming from?" Carth demanded, his hands a blur as he did all he could to evade the approaching ships. The answer came a few moments later, when an enormous Sith Interdictor ship materialized from Hyperspace.

On the bridge of this menacing vessel stood Darth Malak, the man who led the Sith Armada now plaguing the galaxy. His cold, emotionless eyes swept the battlefield, the golden respirator on his face gleaming in the low light of the control panels surrounding him.

"I want the ship crippled, Admiral, but not destroyed. I want Bastila alive." His voice was low, husky, and almost robotic due to the breather mask fixed over his mouth. The man standing slightly behind him swept him a low bow.

"As you wish, Lord Malak. I shall prepare the boarding parties immediately." Admiral Saul Karath turned on his heel and marched down the platform towards his own private terminal. A few moments later, his voice issued throughout the hangar, where the Sith troops were waiting. "All boarding parties, prepare for immediate departure."

Meanwhile, the bombing raids continued, shelling the Endar Spire's hull with powerful ion bombs. "We can't take much more of this, Bastila!" Carth shouted, as once again, he was nearly knocked to the floor. On the bridge and in the forward batteries, small fires had sprung up from exploding terminals, and explosions had reduced the deflector shields to almost nothing. "A few more hits and we'll be sitting ducks out here!"

Bastila's face worked in frustration, her grip on the console tightening. "We have no choice then, we'll have to jump before we reach the Hyperspace route!"

"Are you crazy? You want me to make a blind jump, with all these people on board?" Carth yelled in shock and annoyance. "No way, I won't do it!"

"It's either that or we stay here and get blown to bits by these damn Sith!" Bastila replied haughtily, whilst another bombing run rocked the ship.

"I don't like it, but we haven't really got any options… Fine!" Carth turned back to his console, tapping away feverishly. "All crews! Prepare for emergency jump to Hyperspace!" he shouted through the ship's comm systems.

Suddenly, red lights flashed through the bridge, and the ship lurched heavily once more. Sirens blared, and Carth stared at the console in horror and dismay. "They… they took out the Hyperdrive…" he said, his voice quiet and shocked.

"Boarding teams inbound!"

Bastila slammed her fist on her console, her face livid. "Let the bastards come!" she exclaimed. "Carth, get everyone to the escape pods. I want this ship evacuated immediately!"

Carth rose from his seat as the ship rocked dangerously. "No, you have to get out of here. You're too important to lose. The war effort-"

"To hell with the war effort!" she said angrily, her beautiful features somewhat twisted in her fury. "I'll be damned if I'm going to run from these sodding…" She stopped her tirade, taking a deep breath. "No, Onasi. You're right."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Carth said quickly. "The boarding teams are already cutting through the hull. There won't _be _an Endar Spire to escape from if you don't hurry!"

She gave the soldier a sharp nod, then placed a hand on his shoulder. "Take care of the crew, Onasi."

"Of course, now get out of here!"

Bastila turned and strode from the bridge, right as the Sith troops began pouring into the vessel. Their shining metallic armor and helmets gleamed in the bright lights, as they started firing upon the Republic soldiers.

Carth himself lead the defense on the bridge, his dual blaster pistols firing from the hip. But the sheer numbers began to wear the officers down, and they were slowly forced back out of the bridge.

The bombers and fighters kept hammering the hull, eventually taking out the Cruiser's thrusters, and the ship began spiraling out of control. Laser fire was thick in the halls and corridors of the ship, sirens blared, explosions rung throughout the crippled vessel.

One man, however, was sleeping through the whole thing.

A siren which had been bleating above his bed for the best part of the last 5 minutes woke him from his sleep, and he pulled a disgruntled face as he slowly opened his eyes. His dark hair was short and untidy (something which Trask Ulgo, his bunkmate on the ship, liked to make fun of), and he yawned, rubbing the thin scar which ran from his eyebrow to his jaw line. When he realized the ship was under fire, he sat up quickly, staring around wildly. This man's name was Zade Kento.

The doors slid open, and a Republic soldier clad in orange armor burst in. "Trask!" shouted Zade, leaping up from his bunk. "What the hell's going on?"

Trask fired a few shots blindly out into the corridor, he yelled at Zade over his shoulder. "We've been boarded by the Sith! We're under attack! You sure picked a rough day to sleep in, Kento!"

Zade scrambled from his bunk and quickly pulled on a light gray shirt and his usual black jacket (not much in the way of armor, but it would be better protection than his underpants, at any rate), and scooped up his blaster. "How'd they find us all the way out here?"

"I don't know, and it really doesn't matter!" Trask was firing blindly out into the corridor, ducking as returning fire from the Sith troops slammed into the wall behind him. "How about you give me a hand here?"

"Right!" Zade sprinted to the door and leaped across the hall into the adjoining room. He spotted two Sith Troopers in the corridor, and while their fire was directed towards Zade, Trask leaned out from cover and dropped them with accurate shots to the head.

"Come on! We're taking the fight to these bastards to give Bastila time to escape!" Trask bellowed, sprinting down the corridor with Zade in toe.

"Bastila?" Zade parroted. "Who's Bastila?"

"Did you fall out of bed and bump your head or something?" Trask asked incredulously, as they turned down a corridor and ducked under a malfunctioning door. "Bastila is-"

But exactly what Bastila was, Zade never found out. The pair had run right into a skirmish. The Sith on one side, the Republic on the other, the hall thick with laser fire. "Bring it on you bastards!" roared Trask, charging in to the fray. The Sith were quickly winning this battle, however. As the Republic numbers thinned, a few of the Sith soldiers drew Vibroblades and began slashing through the republic lines.

"We have to fall back!" shouted Zade as he withdrew his own blade and parried a Sith attacker. With a quick flurry he dropped his opponent, but another two quickly took his place.

From behind him, however, his savior appeared. One of the Jedi accompanying Bastila had charged down the corridor, igniting her lightsaber, deflecting the laser bolts back at the Sith troops. She shouldered past Trask and began slashing at the Sith soldiers attacking Zade.

Within moments, the soldiers had been bested, but before a word of thanks could be uttered by the only two survivors, a tall, robed man stepped into the corridor, his own red lightsaber flared.

"It's a Dark Jedi!" exclaimed Trask, grabbing Zade by the collar. "Let's go, this fight is too much for us to handle, we'd only get in the way!" They turned and ran, the two Jedi beginning to duel. At the end of the corridor, Zade looked over his shoulder as the Dark Jedi fell to the ground. The victory was short lived, as an explosion lit the hallway.

As they entered the eerily empty bridge, a voice broke out on their personal communicators. "This is Carth Onasi, all hands report to the escape pods for evacuation. Bastila's escaped pod is away!"

"C'mon, let's get out of here." Trask and Zade took one final look at the planet below, then sprinted from the bridge towards the pods.

They met no one on their way to the pods, which was worrying. Surely they couldn't be the last two on the ship alive? Still the sirens blared, and still the Sith continued shelling and blasting the ship.

"There should be more survivors than this…" Zade muttered as they reached the doorway which led to the final corridor before the pods. It was oddly still and quiet.

"Maybe everyone from this section of the ship made it off already?" Trask replied, pausing and listening. "Hang on…" He stepped over to one of the alternate doorways. "There's someone behind here…" He punched the door code, and inside the room was another Dark Jedi. His flowing black robes reached the floor, and a grin was plastered on his goateed face. "Damn it!" Trask yelled, whipping out his vibroblade with a flourish. "I'll hold him off, you get to the escape pods! Go!" He leaped into the room as the doors closed and sealed behind him.

"Trask! No!" Zade punched the door code, but it seemed Trask had locked himself in with the Sith. "Damn it!" He turned and sprinted down the corridor, towards the pods.

Carth was standing beside the pods, tapping away at a control terminal, even in these final moments trying to steer the ship away, to hold out long enough for everyone to escape. The doors slid open, and he drew his blaster.

"You made it!" he exclaimed, holstering the blaster and punching the door open to the escape pod. "Quickly, into the pod. This ship's about to become space dust."

"What about the others?" demanded Zade, but still stepping over to the pod.

"We're all that's left. Good thing you had your personal communicator on, otherwise I would have left with the last group. Now come on, there isn't much time."

Trask's lifeless body fell to the floor, a trickle of blood trailing from the corner of his mouth, and the Dark Jedi sheathed his lightsaber. He rolled back his sleeve, revealing the wrist communicator, and spoke. "Admiral Karath, this is Darth Bandon. Bastila is no longer on board."

"Very well." Came the sly voice of Saul Karath. "I suggest you depart immediately. That ship is about to be destroyed."

Almost simultaneously, two shuttles sped away from the crippled and dying Hammerhead-class Republic Cruiser, that sense of quiet calm long forgotten. As Carth and Zade plummeted towards the planet below, the Endar Spire spun wildly out of control. A passing bomber dropped it's final charge, and the ship detonated, debris exploding out into the crushing black of space.

The escape pod began to burn up with the force of entry into Taris's atmosphere, and the two Republic soldiers watched as the towering sky scrapers and battlements of the planet-wide metropolis raced up to meet them.

"Brace yourself!" yelled Carth, as the people below began to run and scatter. With a deafening bang, the pod slammed into the Upper City of Taris, and Zade was knocked unconscious with the impact…


	2. Chapter 1: Taris

**CHAPTER ONE:** Taris.

The once bustling trade hub of Taris was now more or less an urban wasteland. Over time, the importance of the former galactic nexus (which, over a century of prosperity, had grown into an ecumenopolis) declined in the wake of improved trading routes and fell into decay.

During the attack on the Endar Spire, Sith Forces descended upon Taris. After wiping out the small Republic Garrison in the Upper City, the Sith declared Marshall Law and Quarantined the planet; No one was getting in or out. Within minutes of the Republic Cruiser's ultimate destruction, several Interdictor-class warships jumped from Hyperspace, surrounding Taris with an impassible blockade.

"Brace yourself!" The red-hot escape pod slammed into one of the towering sky scrapers, then slammed to a sudden halt on the upper-level of Taris, smoke billowing into the skies.

"You alright?" Carth panted, freeing himself from the safety belt and falling to the floor of the pod. He looked up to see Zade hanging loosely in the straps, his eyes closed and a deep gash on his forehead. "Damn it!" the soldier cursed under his breath, struggling to unhook Zade's restraints.

He dragged the limp form of his Republic Comrade out of the pod, eyes squinting through the thick smoke which had engulfed their impromptu landing zone. No one had arrived yet, and Carth thanked his lucky stars. Not far from the crash site stood a rundown looking apartment complex, and acting on impulse, Carth threw Zade over his shoulder, slipping into the elevator as the first of the Tarisian locals arrived on the scene.

Again, it seemed Lady Luck was smiling on the Republic soldiers. After stepping out of the lift into a deserted corridor, Carth quickly found an abandoned apartment, and he slipped inside, sealing the door behind him. On close inspection, Zade's wounds seemed superficial. He would heal in time, but the gash to his forehead looked nasty, and would need some form of medical attention. 'Give it a few hours for the scene outside to calm down…' the pilot thought to himself, gazing down at the pod through one of the apartment's grimy windows. He could see Sith Soldiers surrounding the pod, roughly pushing the onlookers away, while maintenance droids inspected the site itself.

It wasn't until the sun began sinking towards the skyline that the crash site was vacated of Sith Troops, and Carth walked casually from the apartment tower. He zipped up his light brown flight jacket in response to the somewhat chilly breeze as he headed towards one of the Protocol Droids tottering about on the upper level.

"Greetings, off-worlder." The droid said brightly as Carth approached it. "As a representative of the Tarisian Tourism Board, it is my duty to provide any assistance possible to visitors on Taris. All hail the Sith, how may I assist you?"

'Already reprogrammed the Droids. Classy, real classy…' thought Carth dryly. "I'm looking for somewhere to buy medical supplies." Replied Carth, noticing the exceptionally large number of Sith Troopers marching along the streets.

"Ah yes." A few beeps and boops issued from the droid. "At the very end of this street is Zelka Forn's clinic. You should be able to purchase your necessary supplies there."

Muttering a brief thanks to the droid, Carth moved on up the street, trying to remain inconspicuous. He looked back thankfully on his decision to dress casually that day, thinking that the orange armor of the Republic he usually donned when on duty of would have gotten him arrested by now, or even shot.

A service droid sold Carth the supplies he needed (Zelka himself, supposedly, was out of the clinic), and the man returned to the apartment, treating Zade's wounds as best he could. When he was finished, the gash had closed up nicely, although there would no doubt be slight scarring in the long run. Aside from that, Zade would recover in time.

The following day, Carth decided to scout the Upper City, to try and find news of Bastila, and the other escape pods. Sitting in the dingy Pazaak Room of the Upper City South Cantina, Carth learned that a handful of the pods had plummeted down to the bowels of Taris, more commonly known as the Undercity. One or two had crashed into the Lower City, and one (the one Carth himself had arrived in) had caused a major hubbub in the streets of the Upper City.

Over the next two days, Carth gleaned very little from the second hand gossip and chit chat. It was clear that a handful of the escape pods had survived the attack, but beyond that Carth heard nothing about Bastila or the rest of the crew. He was also worrying about Zade, whose wounds had healed nicely, but he often tossed and turned restlessly in his sleep.

_On the bridge of an unnamed warship, a beautiful young Jedi is locked in combat with a hooded and robed Dark Jedi. Her yellow lightsaber slashes skillfully through the air, clashing with the red blade of the Sith. She pushes back, kicking the Sith in the chest, then adopts a defensive stance as the vision fades…_

Zade's eyes fluttered open, and with a groan, he sat up, his vision slightly blurry. As his eyes focused, a figure rose from a nearby chair, and Zade stood, rubbing his eyes.

"Good to see you awake instead of thrashing about in your sleep." Said Carth, a reassured smile touching his stubbly cheeks. He was indeed relieved to see the soldier alive and well again.

"Where are we? And who are you?" Zade asked groggily.

"I'm Carth Onasi, Republic Pilot. And we're in an abandoned apartment, on the planet of Taris." Carth replied. He clasped his hands behind his back and strode to the window, gazing out onto the streets below. "Our escape pod crashed here in the Upper City, you got pretty banged up. Luckily I wasn't too badly hurt, and I managed to drag you here before the Sith arrived on the scene."

Zade looked down at his feet, then glanced up at Carth. "Thanks. I guess I owe you my life." He muttered his thanks, still trying to clear the sluggishness from his brain. "And it's Zade, by the way. Zade Kento."

"No need to thank me Zade." Carth turned around and gave the younger man a scrutinizing look. "We're not out of this mess yet. And you nearly didn't make it this far; It was touch and go for a while there. You must have been having one hell of a nightmare."

The laser fire lighting up the skies, the low hum of the lightsabers. "Yeah. You could say that." It hadn't exactly been a nightmare, but the experience definitely hadn't been a pleasant one. "So what do we do now?" he asked after a few moments of silence. "Have you gotten in touch with the Republic for an evac yet?"

Carth shook his head grimly. "Taris is under Sith control. They've declared marshal law and imposed a planet wide quarantine." He said informatively. "Even if the Republic came, there's no way they'd get through the blockade. And I doubt the whole fleet could punch a hole in that wall. They've got Taris surrounded."

More silence met this grim proclamation. In his mind's eye, Zade could see hundreds of Sith warships circling the planet like ravenous firaxan sharks, waiting to move in for the kill. It seemed a hopeless endeavor.

"So…" Carth began again, breaking the silence. "If we're going to find Bastila and get off this rock, it's up to us. And we _need _to find Bastila."

"What's so important about finding Bastila again?" asked Zade, the confusion in his voice apparent.

"…That smack to your head did more damage than I thought." Muttered Carth in exasperation. "Bastila is a _Jedi_. She was with the strike team that took down Darth Revan, and she's the key to the whole Republic war effort."

"But… How can one person, even a Jedi, mean so much?" He couldn't see the colossal importance behind just one soldier.

"She may be young, but Bastila is a master at an old Force ability called Battle Meditation. She has the power to inspire her fellow soldiers, and make her enemies lose their nerve. Often, that's all it takes to win a battle." Zade opened his mouth to reply, but Carth, already knowing the question, intervened. "Apparently, her abilities require a lot of concentration. The attack on the Endar Spire happened so quickly, she didn't have a chance to use her Battle Meditation."

"Alright, I get it." Replied Zade with a sharp nod. "So what's the plan, then? Any ideas on where we should start looking?"

"While you were recovering I did some scouting around. It seems that a few pods crashed into the Undercity, so that would be the logical place to start. The Sith are on the hunt for Bastila, they won't be looking for a couple grunts like us. We should be able to move around without being detected, as long as we don't go drawing attention to ourselves. We don't want to get caught. Those Dark Jedi interrogation methods sound pretty grim." He repressed a shudder, shaking his head. "They say the Force can do terrible things to a mind… It can wipe away your thoughts and destroy your very identity… But, as long as we keep our heads down, we'll be fine."

Outside in the corridor, things were far from fine.

The elevator doors slid open, and a Sith Officer, flanked by two War Droids strode into the hall. "Alright, you alien scum!" The Sith said loudly to the group of Duro who were standing just around the bend from Carth and Zade's apartment. "This is a raid! All of you, up against the wall. Now."

One of the Duro glared defiantly at the Sith. "You have no right bursting in here and ordering us around!" He growled in his native tongue. "You may have laid claim to Taris, but-"

"Alright Soldier…" Carth said, moving towards the door. "Let's move…" Two quick-fire blaster shots abruptly ended his words, and after shooting a worried glance at Zade, he bolted out into the corridor, Zade in tow.

The Duros stepped back, stunned, as their companion fell to the floor. "And that's how we Sith deal with smart mouthed aliens. Let that be a lesson to the rest of you. Now, up against the wall." At that moment, the two Republic soldiers hurtled around the corner, blasters drawn. "What's this? Humans, hiding out with the aliens?" A look of comprehension spread across his brutish looking face. "They're Republic fugitives! Kill them!"

Before the droids could level their weapons at the duo, Carth and Zade began firing, the two droids exploding from the waist up, and the officer falling with blaster scorches dotting his grey uniform.

"Poor Iziz…" muttered one of the Duro, kneeling beside his fallen friend. "He was far too headstrong…" He rose and turned, his bulbous red eyes falling on the two humans. "My thanks." He said graciously. "I don't want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't turned up."

"Won't the Sith send more soldiers in when this guy doesn't report back?" Zade asked, frowning slightly. "They're going to realize that an officer and two droids have disappeared."

The alien shook his head. "We'll take care of that, off-worlder." He said bluntly. "We can move the bodies and make it look like they were killed elsewhere, throwing them off your trail."

"Good." Said Carth, nodding. "The last thing we want is the Sith sniffing around our makeshift base…" he muttered to Zade.

The pair took their leave of the Duros and headed out into the Upper City. If it wasn't for the Sith Troopers (who seemed to outnumber the Tarisian locals 3 to 1), Zade would have called the Upper City almost peaceful.

They had decided to visit Zelka Forn's clinic first to grab some supplies before finding a way down to the Undercity. They walked in silence, and it was Carth who broke it.

"I ah, took a look at your service record the day you were transferred to the Endar Spire." He said quietly, _almost _casually. "Quite an interesting resume, if I do say so myself."

"Oh? How so?"

"Well, apart from knowing a remarkable number of alien languages, your former career is rather interesting." Carth raised an eyebrow. "Smuggling spice and blasters along the Hydian Way?"

"So I may have broken a few rules in my time." Zade replied with a half-hearted shrug. "I'm no crook, if that's what you're thinking."

"I never said you were. Just an… interesting career choice." He responded defensively. "You're with the Republic now. Guess they decided that since they couldn't catch you, they may as well hire you."

"Yeah, right?" Zade chuckled. "I thought they were going to lock me away when I signed up, and next thing I know, I was posted to the Endar Spire."

Carth scratched his cheek as they walk, thinking. "Speaking of the Endar Spire, what do you remember?"

"Very little." Zade said in reply. "Explosions. The Sith. Dark Jedi." He rattled off. "I wasn't really in a position to know what was going on."

"No, none of us were." There was a highly suspicious tone in Carth's voice. "I just find it a little too convenient that a last minute addition to the crew, requested by Bastila specifically, just so happens to be one of the only survivors from the attack."

"If you're suggesting that _I _had something to do with the attack," Zade began hotly, "then I think you've got a few screws loose, pal. I damn near didn't make it- Hang on, you said Bastila specifically requested me?"

"When the Jedi took over the ship, they requested a million things. It isn't so odd that they posted someone with your skill set, considering we were patrolling the Outer Rim territories. Again, though, it's a bit too coincidental that you managed to survive when so many others didn't."

"Would you rather I'd have died? You seem to be forgetting we're on the same side here, Carth." Zade came to a halt, shooting Carth a less than friendly glance. "We should be working together."

"I know, and it's nothing against you personally. I just don't trust anyone. Not anymore." A dark look crossed the pilot's face. "Yes, we're on the same side. And I appreciate having you here. I can't do this on my own. But I'd be a fool not to expect the unexpected. That's all. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to focus on more important things."

"I consider this important. If there's some kind of problem, I think we should discuss it."

"I appreciate your concern. But I'm not used to talking about this sort of stuff. I prefer to act, and that's what I intend to do." Carth's tone suggested that the conversation was over, and with that, he turned and continued on up the street towards the clinic.

After a moment's pause, Zade began walking as well. "We're going to talk about this eventually, you got that?"

"Fine. But later."

Zelka Forn's clinic was completely deserted, at first glance. The medical droid was no longer at the counter, and the healer himself was no where to be seen.

"Hello?" called Carth, stepping in to the eerily still clinic. "Zelka?" No reply came, and Carth turned to Zade, shrugging. "Maybe he got called out on business?"

Zade's eyes roamed the room. "He would have closed the shop, if that was the case. There's plenty to steal in here, I doubt he'd just leave it there." At the back of the shop was a reinforced blast door. A sign nearby informed them that the healing tanks for serious injuries were held here, and a hand written note below the door controls read 'Employees only'. "He might be back there. I wouldn't normally do this, but as I'm sure you know, time isn't on our side." . Zade moved over to the doors, and after a moment of tapping away at the lock, the door's slid open.

The doors revealed a long room, lined with cylindrical tanks full of the Kolto healing solution. At the far end, a dark skinned man was examining two patients, who were wearing what seemed to be Republic jump suits.

"Hey! What are you doing?" The man yelled in his shock, dropping the datapad in his hand, a look of fright on his face. "Y-you shouldn't be here! The sign said employees only!"

"Hey, I recognize these men…" Zade said, ignoring Zelka and striding into the room. "They're soldiers with the Republic!"

"You… recognize these soldiers?" Comprehension dawned on Zelka, and he took a steadying breath. "You must be with the Republic. The pod that crashed here in the Upper City, I take it."

"Yes, we are." Zade said calmly. "How did you find these men?"

"Ever since the battle, people have been bringing these soldiers in." Zelka explained, picking up the datapad. "There wounds are too severe for me to really heal them, but at least I can make them comfortable, rather than dying down in the slums."

"We appreciate your efforts, Zelka." Said Carth respectfully. "Thank you, on behalf of the whole Republic."

"It's the least I can do." Zelka replied, moving away from the tanks and leading the pair back out into the clinic proper. "I'm assuming you came here for healing, or supplies?"

"Yes." Said Zade. "We wanted to purchase a few medpacs, if you have any to spare. We need them for an expedition into the Under City."

"Under City?" Zelka started, his eyes widening. "That's suicide. The place is infected with Rakghouls. And to get their, you'd have to pass through the Lower City, and that place is Swoop territory."

"Regardless, we need to find out what happened to the escape pods which crashed down there."

Zelka sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid you won't be getting down to the Lower City anyway. 2 days ago, the Sith stationed guards at all the elevators. No one gets in or out unless it's a Sith patrol."

Carth and Zade looked crestfallen. "You're kidding…" muttered Zade, glancing at Carth. "We'll have to try anyway. There has to be a way."

"I wish I could do more to help you." Zelka moved over to a large cabinet and took a few medpacs from the shelf. "Take these, no charge. You're keeping a secret for me, so I don't mind helping you in return. I wish you luck."

Feeling slightly disappointed, the pair returned to their apartment complex. They'd need to find out a way to get in there. It was the only lead they had on Bastila. The elevator doors slid open, and they stepped out into the corridor. "Ah damn it, wrong floor." Carth muttered, turning around and thumbing the lift button again.

From down the hall, however, they heard raised voices. "We've got your ugly mug on a security tape from the base." The voice said threateningly. "Now, start talking, before I blow your slimy brains out of your repulsive head. Where are the uniforms you stole?"

"Sith…" muttered Zade, pulling out his blaster and moving towards the source. Carth in tow.

An Aqualish voice floated down the corridor. "Unif-forms? I-I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Lies!" A harsh slap echoed down the hall. "You're planning to sell them to the Tarisian underground! Where are the uniforms?"

They rounded the corner, spying a Sith guard standing outside the doorway. He spotted them and raised his carbine. "Not a step closer, civilians. The commander is busy interrogating this alien spy."

"I'm not going to let you kill an innocent alien." Zade replied darkly, glaring at the Sith.

The Commander must have heard, because he strode from the room a moment later. "Did I hear you correctly? _Let _us kill him? What are you going to do about it?" he glanced at the other soldier. "Trooper, show these civilians the penalty for defying the Sith."

Carth and Zade's blasters began firing rapidly, the trooper falling dead, his armor cracked and burned, before he could switch his carbine from stun to kill. The commander reached for his own blaster with a snarl, but the Aqualish had seized him around the throat from behind. They heard a dry snap as the commander's neck broke, and he fell to the ground.

"Sith slimo…" he growled in his native tongue. "Thank you, for your timely assistance." He said thankfully.

"You can thank us by handing over some of this Sith uniforms." Zade said abruptly and bluntly. "We happen to be in the market for a set."

"Ah, if I had a set, I would give them to you." Replied the alien. "But the uniforms I stole have already been passed on." Zade could detect no trace of a lie in the alien's voice.

"Very well. If they have your image, there's no doubt they'll come looking for you again. Go hunker down somewhere until it all blows over." The Aqualish didn't need to be told twice. After muttering his gratitude again, he left at a hurried walk down the corridor.

"Another dead end…" Carth muttered, leaning against the wall. "How are we going to get down there? It's not like we can just waltz into the base and take two sets of armor."

Zade had just finished tucking the Sith away in the apartment, when an idea struck him. He gazed at the two Sith; The Trooper's armor was too damaged to be used at all, but the Commander's was completely unblemished. He glanced at the armor, then back over at the pilot. "Carth… I have an idea."


	3. Chapter 2: Swoop Turf

**CHAPTER TWO:** Swoop Turf

Bastila's escape pod plunged down into the depths of Taris, collecting speed as it shot towards the ground. A few shyrack shrieked and swerved out of it's path, and it continued its fall. The pod glanced off the side of a building and slammed into the ground with jarring force.

Several white humanoid beasts began creeping towards the pod, growling and snarling at one another. They could smell human flesh inside. As the Rakghouls prowled closer, Bastila's pod door swung open, and Bastila fell limply out of the pod.

The Jedi had been banged up, but (unlike Zade) had not been shaken to the point of losing consciousness. She dragged herself wearily to her feet, covered in scuffs and scratches, eyes widening as they fell on the advancing Rakghouls. "Oh sod it all…" she moaned, pulling aside her robe to access her saber. Which wasn't there.

"Where is the bloody thing?" she retreated a few steps towards the pod, frantically patting her pockets to no avail. One of the beasts eyed her dangerously, and leaped.

Laser fire filled the air, followed by a bright boom from a frag grenade, as dark figures leaped into view, blasting the ghouls. A few of the vile creatures fell, dead, while the rest of them scampered off into the darkness. Before Bastila could discern faces or acknowledge her saviors, the barrel of a rifle was pressed between her shoulder blades, and she was surrounded.

"What do we have here…" growled an armored Nikta in her ear. "Surely she cannot be a soldier, she's far too delectable to be a grunt."

Bastila could feel the alien's eyes wandering all over her, and it made her skin positively crawl. "Touch me, and I'll make sure it's the last thing you do." She said icily. "Same goes for the rest of you bottom feeders." She raised her voice, so that the 20 or so thugs surrounding her could hear.

To her surprise, she felt the cold metal of the rifle removed from between her shoulders, but a moment later, the butt was driven into the back of her neck and she fell to the ground.

A human voice sounded out from near the pod. "Nothing of value in here, Kandon. The girl might fetch a pretty fair price on the market. She's easy on the eyes, and Davik's always in need of whores."

A Twi'lek stepped over, looking down at Bastila as she struggled to her knees, eyes narrowed in an attempt to control her anger. "There's more than meets the eye with this one." Kandon remarked in Huttese. "What is your name, girl? And what are you to the Republic?"

"Bastila." She spat angrily. "And I am… I'm an officer, 1st class, Republic Navy." She held back on telling them she was a Jedi. She couldn't see why, but the Force worked in mysterious ways.

"Oh ho ho! A Republic officer, you say?" Kandon grinned and rubbed his chin. "Yes, Brejik is sure to make a fortune with you."

A scathing reply rose to her lips, but again, the rifle butt was swiped across the back of her head, knocking her face first into the ground, and she slipped into unconscious sleep.

When she woke several hours later, she was laying on the floor of a cell in some non-descript factory. The shimmering golden light of the transparent cell wall hurt her eyes, and her head was reeling. She was pleased to see that the thugs had left her clothing on, at any rate.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty." Came a sly voice from the door. Bastilla looked up to see a grinning man, leaning casually against the opposite wall. "How are you feeling, my little gold mine?"

Bastilla rose to her feet, glaring at the man. "It's rude to stare at people while they're sleeping." She said in a cold voice. "I can tell you're a slime ball just by looking at you, but do you not have a shred of decency in you?"

The man chuckled, and thumbed a control panel near the door. Arcs of electricity leaped from the cell door to her, shocking her to her core. She let out a high groan and fell to the floor again, feeling as though her insides were on fire.

"Horrible manners." The man shook his head, tutting loudly. "Tsk tsk, I thought you'd be in a better mood, considering my men saved you from the Rahkghouls and gave you a nice warm room to stay in."

Again Bastila stood, her face defiant. "Who are you, and where am I?" she demanded.

"You're on Taris, my dear. To be more precise, you're in a cell on Taris." He let out a short, humorless laugh. "Not that it matters of course. You won't be going anywhere. And I am Brejik, leader of the Black Vulkars."

"Well, Brejik of the Black Vulkars, I suggest you let me out of this cell right now, if you place any value on your own life." Bastila clenched her fists and glared at the Vulkar. "You have no idea who you're messing with."

"Sorry sweetheart, no can do." Brejik folded his arms behind his head. "I truly wish I could help you. Thing is, a Republic Officer will fetch a fortune on the Intergalactic Slave market."

"So what are you going to do? Sell me to a slaver?"

Brejik laughed. "Of course not! I have a dream, Bastila. A dream of controlling the Lower City. And, well, if the smaller gangs see that I'm putting up a pretty Republic Officer as the Vulkar's share of the prize money in this year's swoop race… Well, you can see how they'd flock to my banner, rather than that old fool Gadon Thek's."

Bastila had no idea who Gadon Thek was. Nor did she know of the vicious struggle between the rival swoop gangs. All she knew was that she had to get out of here and in touch with the fleet.

"I think I'll be saying my farewell now." Brejik said suddenly, pushing off the wall. "Make yourself at home, although the room service here is lousy." He chuckled and walked out of site.

"You won't get away with this you bastard!" Bastila shouted, stomping her feet.

Carth followed a Sith Soldier through the streets of the Upper City, trying to look as irritable as possible. He shot a mean glare at a passing merchant and gripped his Blaster Rifle more tightly.

"You sure this is gonna work? Damn, I feel like an asshole." He muttered, increasing his stride to catch up with the Sith.

"Of course it's gonna work." Zade's voice came out muffled from the Sith helmet he wore, and he shoulder through a loose knot of drunks who were lazing about beside an airspeeder. "Just, keep doing what you're doing and let me do the talking."

"All right, but if it doesn't work, don't say I didn't warn you."

They rounded a corner, and Zade marched confidently towards the elevator, and the Trooper guarding it. The Sith snapped his attention to Zade, and (to the Republic soldiers' great relief) relaxed the grip on his carbine. "Another patrol headed down to the Lower City, eh?" he asked. "Good luck down there. Those Swoop Gangs will take a shot at anyone. Even _us_. Shame we don't have the man power to sweep those slums clean."

"Right. Those bastards will regret defying the Sith." Zade replied in an accurate impression of the typical Sith Trooper.

"Sorry, but, who is this?" The guard gestured towards Carth.

Zade was forced to think on the spot. "His name is Alenko, he's a highly trained mercenary, and he General has sent him down here to bulk up our presence in the Lower City."

"Yes, that'll put the fear into those sneaking swoop gangs." Said the Sith with a firm nod.

As the elevator descended, Zade ripped his helmet off and tucked it under his arm. "No idea how those Sith can breathe in this armor." He said, wiping his slightly sweaty face.

Carth looked at him blankly. "… 'Alenko?' That's what you came up with? Do I even _look_ like an Alenko to you?" he asked incredulously.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it." He shot Carth a smirk and replaced the helmet as the lift came to a shuddering halt. "Let's go, Alenko. We've got Swoop Gang scum to clear out."

Carth rolled his eyes and followed Zade out into the dank streets, and raised voices met their ears. It was a gravelly Nikta voice.

"Hidden Beks are nothing but Bantha Fodder! We Vulkars rule the streets!" it exclaimed.

A rodian yelled out in reply. "We'll show you who rule the streets! For the Beks!"

Laser fire and the echoing clang of Vibroblades boomed out in the corridor, followed by the screams of dying fighters. At the end of the alley, two hooded Nikta backed into sight, firing at their Hidden Bek adversaries.

They caught sight of Carth and Zade in their peripheries, and spun. "Sith aren't welcome here!" the apparent leader growled, turning his rifle on the Republic grunts.

Carth and Zade were too quick for them, however, felling the Vulkars within a few moments. "Some welcoming party, eh?" Carth raised his eyebrows, slipping his blaster back into it's holster. "So what's the plan? Where should we start looking?"

"Well, I don't want to be wearing this armor everywhere. It's basically like walking around with a target on my back." Zade removed the helmet again and stuffed it into Carth's pack, then removed a traveling cloak from one of the Vulkars. He threw it over his shoulders, covering the armor, and slung the rifle over his shoulder by the strap. "Cantina is probably our best bet. Bound to be someone there who knows about the pods."

They began walking towards the Cantina, but Carth had fallen into thoughtful silence. Zade picked up on this, and shot him an inquisitive glance.

"What's on your mind?" Carth asked causally.

"Could ask you the same thing." Zade said with a nod. "You've been awfully quiet, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

"Look, I can tell you've got a problem." Zade said, coming to an abrupt halt. "And I know that there's still some form of issue between us."

"Like I said before, I don't want to talk about it. I just don't trust easily." Carth made to walk around Zade. "So, can we drop it and just get back to the task at-"

"No, Carth. We can't." Zade moved in front of him again. "Whatever you've got to say, just spit it out."

Carth glared at him for a few moments, then replied. "Fine!" he said hotly. "You've got the skills of an elite commando, and that combined with your facility with alien languages, I'm extremely lucky to have you here. Bastila's in danger, we're surrounded by the Sith and being shot at by Swoop Gangs, we've barely got any leads on Bastila, and sure we've made it down here, but how the hell are we gonna find her? And even if we do, how the hell are we gonna get off this planet under the nose of the Sith? I feel like I'm losing my mind, and I've got this constant voice in the back of my head telling me not to trust anyone and to just rely on myself."

"Okay then." started Zade, just as heatedly. "Tell me, how do I know _I _can trust _you_?"

Carth's mouth opened angrily, then closed. "_Me_?"

"Yes, you." Zade's temper was rising. "All this talk about betrayal and not trusting is making _me_ all on edge and half expecting a blaster bolt to the back. So Carth, why am I supposed to trust you, but not get the same treatment, hmm? Why should I trust you?"

Carth paused, lost for words. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet. "If you're smart, you won't. Not me. Not Bastila. Not yourself."

"Oh, so you don't trust yourself? Is that where this all stems from?" Zade rolled his eyes and leaned on the wall.

Carth felt a strong desire to punch him. "This is why I didn't want to discuss this!" he replied a little haughtily. "You don't have to take this as a personal attack. I just. Don't. Trust. People. Okay? That doesn't mean I hate you or think you're working with the Sith or anything. Like I said, I'm just expecting the unexpected."

"Fine. You win. We'll drop it." Zade sighed and turned towards the Cantina. "Just, lighten up a bit, okay? I know things look bad, but we're alive. We've made it this far without a hitch. We need to work together. For Bastila, and the Republic. For ourselves."

Carth merely nodded in reply. It was clear there was something bothering him, but Zade left it for now.

Zade entered first, to the sounds of heavy trance music, several patrons looming around the Pazaak tables eying the two soldiers closely. They entered the main room, and two armored Rodians pushed roughly past them, towards a young Twi'lek girl.

"Little girl shouldn't be in a bar by herself." Said one of the Rodians greasily. "Little girl could find herself in big trouble."

Zade had to admire the girl's daring. "Back off chuba-face. Your breath smells like Bantha Poodoo." She said pinching her nose.

"Rude little girl's mouth is too big." Replied the other Rodian testily, pointedly resting his hand on his blaster pistol. "Should learn to show respect to the Vulkars. Should teach you to keep your smart mouth closed"

"Zaalbar, got a minute?" she called over her shoulder. Out of the shadows behind the Twi'lek, a wookiee strode towards them.

"Hey! We have problem with you, not with wookiee!" There was a trace of fear in the Vulkar's voice.

"Ya got a problem with me, then ya got a problem with Big Z." The Twi'lek's street accent became more pronounced as she spoke. "So I suggest you get outta here, before my buddy here decides to rip the legs off some bug-eyed insects." Zaalbar growled quietly, eying the Rodians.

They didn't need convincing. Muttering curses, they slinked away, past Zade and Carth.

The young Twi'lek scowled after them, muttering "core-slime…" under her breath. When she laid eyes on Zade and Carth, she tilted her head slightly. "Hey, do I know you guys? Ya don't look familiar."

"No, no you don't." Zade replied, closing the short distance between them. "We're offworlders, stuck here because of the Quarantine. I'm Zade. And this is Carth."

The pilot shot a nervous glance at Zade, possibly because he'd used their real names, but masked it with a smile. "Ya got a lot of guts standing up to those Vulkars, kid. What's your name?"

"My name's Mission Vao." She replied brightly, reaching up and patting the wookiee on the arm. "And this furry fella is my buddy Big Z. If you're new here, I guess that makes me 'n Zaalbar your official welcoming committee!"

"It'd be better than the one the Vulkars gave us." Laughed Zade, taking an instant liking to Mission.

"Urgh, don't get me started on the Vulkars." She said in a disgusted tone, rolling her eyes. "And I _could _go on and on about them. Not much gets past this Twi'lek. No sir."

"I bet it doesn't." Zade smiled, thinking that this meeting would be highly beneficial to him and Carth. "I'm guessing someone with your street smarts would know about the escape pods that crashed into the Undercity."

Mission grinned and tipped him a wink. "You betcha." She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. She sure was a smart kid, thought Zade. "I'm not exactly sure, but I _think_ the Vulkars got to the pods first."

"And what did they find?"

"That one… I don't know." She said in a slightly disappointed tone. "Tell ya who would know; Gadon. He's the leader of the Hidden Beks."

"Hidden Beks? Isn't that some swoop gang?" interjected Carth. "From what we've seen so far, the swoop gangs aren't really all that welcoming."

"That's the Vulkars for ya." Mission muttered. "They never used to be so bad, but that was before Brejik took over. He used to be Gadon's second in command for the Beks. Everyone thought that when Gadon lost his sight in a swoop accident, he'd hand over the reigns to Brejik. But he didn't, and I can guess Brejik didn't like that. So he took over the Vulkars, and it's been his main goal to push the Beks out of the Lower City. Sad to say that the slimo has been doing a pretty good job…"

Zade glanced at Carth, who motioned looking at a watch. 'We haven't got that much time', that look said. "Where can I find Gadon?" asked Zade.

"He's over at the Bek Base, just a few blocks from here." Replied Mission. "Good luck with… Whatever you're down here to do." She said brightly, patting Zaalbar on the arm. "C'mon Big Z, let's rustle up something to eat."

"Nice kid." Zade muttered to Carth a few minutes later as they walked towards the Bek compound. "Smart."

"I don't know about that." Carth replied. "She can't be older than 17 or so, and she's running around with a Wookiee and swoop gangs?"

"Taris seems like a pretty rough place." Zade shrugged. "If I was growing up here, I'd be looking at making friends like that. Plus the Beks don't seem all that bad, from what Mission was saying."

"Let's hope this Gadon has some information on Bastila. I can't see any other options, if this turns out to be a dead end."

"I really enjoy your optimism, Alenko. Such a joy to be around, especially when times are getting tough." Zade shot him a sly grin over his shoulder.

"Call me Alenko again, and not even that Sith armor will save you from my wrath." Carth smiled in spite of himself.

Up ahead, they could see the dual strength blast doors leading to the Hidden Bek base. Whether or not Gadon Thek held the answers they sought was yet to be seen.


	4. Chapter 3: Gadon's Request

**CHAPTER 3:** Gadon's request.

It had taken a good deal of convincing for the door warden to allow Zade and Carth passage into the Bek compound. And even then, it had come with a dire warning. "Not like you can harm Gadon in the heart of his own back, especially with Zaedra watching his back. Go in and speak to him if you like, just know that the eyes of the Beks will be on you…"

And so they'd entered the base, completely aware of the distrustful glances of the Bek gang members as they moved up the hall and into the large main room. At the head of the chamber, a tall, dark man stood in conversation with a rather savage looking Twi'lek. This had to be Gadon and Zaedra.

They approached the pair, and the Twi'lek turned, pulling a blaster with incredible speed. "Stop right there." She demanded. "Who are you? What business do you have with the Beks?"

The older man chuckled, raising his hands. "Calm down Zaedra. Don't you think you're being a little extreme?"

"You're too trusting, Gadon." She muttered to Gadon. "They might be spies, working with the Sith, or the Vulkars."

"We're not with either of them." Zade said hurriedly. He felt that honesty was the key here, if they wanted to secure Gadon's help. "We're Republic soldiers, and we were told that you might be able to tell us what happened with the escape pods."

Zaedra opened her mouth to reply, but was silenced when Gadon raised his hand. "I believe you. Zaedra, can you give us a few moments, please."

The Twi'lek seemed none to happy about this, but wasn't going to refuse an order from Gadon. She fixed the two soldiers with a glare, then walked away.

"You'll have to forgive Zaedra. Ever since this turf war with the Vulkars began, she's been a little… Over zealous with her duties. She seems to forget that I'm perfectly capable of defending myself, even without my sight."

"Nothing to forgive." Zade replied. "I understand. My name is Zade Kento, and this is Carth Onasi."

"And you're looking for information on the Escape Pods which fell into the Undercity." Gadon stroked his chin, as if contemplating how much to tell them. "The only bit of good news I have is that the Sith were too late to get anything from the pods. The bad news, is that the Vulkars stripped the pods of anything valuable within a few hours of the pods landing. Only one survivor that I'm aware of. A female Republic Officer named Bastila was taken into Vulkar custody shortly after pods landed."

"Carth… She's alive." Zade muttered to the pilot. Carth nodded, an excited bubble rising inside him.

"The Vulkars will often sell slaves to Davik, the local crime lord, or to an off-world slaver… But a Republic Officer is no ordinary find. I'm afraid your companion has become a pawn in Brejik's campaign to take over the Lower City gangs. He's offered her up as the Vulkar's share in the annual Swoop Meet."

"They still think she's just a Republic Officer." Carth said in an aside to Zade. "That could work in our favour."

Zade nodded. "Where is she being held, Gadon?"

"She's too valuable to be held at the Base with the rest of the Vulkar trash." Gadon replied, waving a hand. "No doubt Brejik has her locked up somewhere, only known to him. I doubt you'll have any chance of finding her until the season opener."

Zade ran his fingers distractedly through his hair. They'd come this far, and now… Brejik was sure to have Bastila locked up tightly, and security at the race would be extreme. They couldn't swoop in and save her. "Is there anything you can do to help us?"

"Hmm…" Gadon stroked his chin, thinking. "I _could_, if you're willing to do so something for me. I can sponsor you as a rider for the Hidden Beks this year. We've even got a prototype accelerator that will damn near guarantee the rider's victory. But there is a task I need you to do first."

"You scratch my back, I scratch yours." He honestly hadn't expected to get help for free. And this plan sounded like a good one. Zade didn't mind a bit of danger. Hell, he'd run into quite a bit in his past as a Smuggler.

"That's the idea." Gadon smiled softly, pacing behind his desk. "The accelerator I speak of is currently in the hands of the Black Vulkars. They stole it from our lab, and intend to use it themselves."

"Lemme guess… I gotta go get it back?"

Gadon nodded gravely. "Whoever has that accelerator wins the Race. Wins Bastila. If you can get it away from the Vulkars, I'll even let you use it."

Zade and Carth exchanged a glance, and then nodded grimly. "Alright. But we'll need help in getting into the Vulkar base. From what we've heard, security is pretty tight."

"It most certainly is." Gadon concurred. "Even if I gathered all of the Hidden Beks and launched an assault on their doors, it would be a fruitless endeavor. In addition to their rather impressive numbers, they have state of the art auto turrets guarding the entrance and entrance hall, plus a full compliment of war droids. But…" he said slowly. "There _is _a back door. I cannot help you much there, but a young Twi'lek named Mission Vao might be able to."

Mission, the helpful (and oh-so-smart) teen from the Cantina. Mission and her Wookiee companion. "Where can we find her?" Zade asked.

"She lives in a small apartment, in the complex just down the street." Gadon replied. "But I highly doubt she will be there. Mission is young, and therefore spends most of her time exploring the Under City. But getting down there will be a major problem in itself."

"The Vulkars? Or the Sith?"

"The Sith have denied access to the Under City to all except those on Sith Business. And even if one was to be wearing, say, a Sith Uniform, they'd need to be in possession of official papers. And I can tell you now; those Papers are very, _very _difficult to come by." His tone was almost casual, but there was also a knowing quality to it.

Zade's hand automatically gripped the frayed edge of the rough cloak he wore to cover the Sith Armor, wondering if Gadon truly did know he was wearing Sith Armor beneath it. "I'm guessing you have said papers?" Zade questioned the older man.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Gadon nodded, a small smile forming. "What I am lacking, however, are Sith uniforms. If someone was to present me with a set of Sith Armor, well, I'd be more than happy to trade."

He knew, alright. That smile said enough. "Very well. You've got a deal." Zade stepped forward, holding out his hand. Before he could feel stupid for extending his hand to a man standing blindly at a point over his shoulder, Gadon had grasped his hand, shaking firmly.

When they left 10 minutes later (Zade dressed again in his usual dark trousers and jacket), Carth spoke what had been on both their minds. "Knows and sees a hell of a lot for an old blind swoop jockey…"

"No kidding." Zade remarked, shaking his head. "He's sharp, alright. Wouldn't have minded getting some newer blasters though."

"New blasters?" Carth raised an eyebrow, laying a hand on his own. "I don't see a problem with the ones we've got."

"That's because yours hasn't been on the fritz since we crash landed here."

"Well, maybe you should have taken better care of it."

"Better care…?" Zade stared at Carth opened mouthed. "We were ejected from an exploding ship, then had a worse landing than Shyrack with a broken wing. How do you expect me to…What's so funny?"

Carth chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "You're really easy to wind up, you know that?"

An unwilling grin crossed Zade's face. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, pal. How about… Hold up…"

They walked around a corner, where a human was in conversation with two seedy looking Rodians. Both of them were wearing the Vulkar insignia. "Davik says you two missed your last payments. So what, you ah… think because you're in some little gang you don't have to give Davik his cut?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, a rather unimpressed look on his face.

"Vulkars answer to no one." One of the Rodians said in Huttese. "Not even Davik!"

"Oh, so you wanna do this the hard way? Heh, great." He turned his head and whistled. A second later, heavy boots could be heard tromping into the corridor.

A tall, broadest man strode into sight, his blue-grey eyes fixing the Rodians with a penetrating glare. His muscular arms were folded across his barrel chest, and across his shoulders, a Heavy Repeater hung on a strap.

"C-Canderous!" said one of the Rodians, taking a hasty step back and raising his hands defensively. "I-I didn't know you was working for Davik!"

"Davik's got me working on a special project, but while this quarantine's in place, I don't mind taking out the trash." He growled, advancing towards the Rodians. "You know, the dirty stuff. Like making sure filthy swoop scum adhere to their payment plans."

"So, what's it gonna be boys?" asked the human, shooting them an ill-favoured grin. "Gonna pay up, or does Canderous here have to convince you."

"No! We'll pay!" they chorused. "We don't want trouble with a Mandalorian!"

"Shame." Canderous rolled his shoulders, cracking his knuckles menacingly. "I was looking forward to cracking some skulls."

"Very good. Now, why don't you two stand-up gentlemen come with me. Don't want you ducking on your payments again…"

The human led the Rodians away, Canderous scowling heavily at the aliens. He spared a glance for Carth and Zade, spitting on the ground, then stomped off after the rest of the group.

"Interesting display." Zade muttered, watching the quartet enter an apartment complex not too far away. "You know, once the Sith vacate, I might buy some property in this charming little hamlet."

"Mercenaries, huh?"

The Sith Guard standing next to the elevator to the Under City glanced down at the paperwork, then back up at Zade and Carth. Although the metallic face shield hid his expression, they could read it easily in his voice: Doubt.

"That's right." Replied Zade simply. "Is there some form of problem?"

The Sith looked at him again. "You don't look much like mercenaries to me. You're dressed like a pair of poorly armed civilians."

"Poorly armed Civillians?" Zade began in indignation."Tell me this, my friend. Would poorly armed Civillians have made it this far? With the swoop gangs taking potshots at every thing that moves?"

"Be that as it may, I'll need you to return to the Sith Base on the Upper City for further clarification."

"Fine. We'll go back up their, and tell your Commander that some low-life, cowardly bottom-feeder held us up from our job, and that they can try and find someone else to do it." Zade said angrily. "Maybe they'll send you down there to do it."

He turned, nodded to Carth, and began walking away.

"Now, hold up just a moment." The Sith guard's voice wasn't quite so confident at the thought of patrolling the Under City. "Maybe I was a little hasty. You _do _have the necessary paperwork. Perhaps if I just let you on through, there's no need to speak to the Commander, hmm?"

"We'll think about it." Zade muttered darkly, shooting the Sith a glare as he and Carth strolled into the lifts. The doors slid shut, and Carth looked incredulously at his companion.

"You're a little too good at this play-acting thing…" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Heh, the amount of stories I've come up with when I used to get inspected by Republic Customs Officers put these to shame." He chuckled. "Could damn near have written a holovid with half of them."

The doors at the bottom were far less impressive than the ones in the lower city. No more than a shambles wire grille, sans guards or turrets. The gates opened onto a dark and miserable little village, shabbily dressed villagers tottering about their sad lives.

Zade and Carth had barely stepped out of the lift, when two younger people wearing patched and filthy clothes approached them. "Hey! You need to pay a toll to use this lift!" said one of them.

"A… toll?" Zade raised an eyebrow. "This is a public lift."

"5 credits!" said one of them. "That's the toll! Pay it, or return to the surface."

Zade frowned. He pitied these poor folks. "Here's 10, for the two of us." He said, handing the credits to the two dwellers.

"Credits! Hahahahaha! Credits my brother!" One cried, jumping on the spot. "Now we can buy food and medicine!"

A female voice broke out over the joyful cries of the brothers. "Go on you two! Get out of here!" The two villagers scampered off into the smoky darkness, quickly replaced by a slender, rather pretty woman. "I'm sorry about them." She said with a sigh. "Those two no good beggars give the rest of us Outcasts a bad name."

"No troubles at all." Zade said with a shake of the head. "My name is Zade, and this is Carth."

"It is nice to meet you." She said with a short bow. "My name is Shaleena… Y-you're from the Up World, aren't you?" she asked almost timidly. "Can you… Tell me what it's like up there?"

Carth and Zade exchanged a glance. "Well it's ah… No offense… But a lot nicer up there than it is down here, Miss." Said Carth in an unsure voice.

"No, no offense." She shook her head. "It's not a nice place to look at. I've never known anything else, though." She sighed. "I sometimes see the sky, in my dreams. You'll probably think I'm crazy, dreaming about something I've never seen. Some of the other Upworlders did."

"Other Upworlders?" A few groups came to mind; The Sith, The Vulkars, The Beks, Davik's goons. "What can you tell me about the other Upworlders?"

"Hmm…" She paused, tapping her chin. "Not much. Some looked like you, others wore gleaming armor. Most were downright cruel. I'm sure Gendar, our village Leader could tell you."

Shaleena pointed them in Gendar's direction, and the two moved over to a middle-aged Outcast, standing beside a rather dim fire. The fire itself offered very little light or warmth for the village Leader.

Gendar straightened up, dusting the front of his tunic as the strangers approached. "More Upworlders?" he asked in a conversational tone.

"Yeah, we're here looking for a friend of ours. She's a Twi'lek named Mission Vao. Most likely running around with a Wookiee."

"Hmm…" Gendar scratched the back of his head. "Yes. I've seen this Twi'lek many times, although I've never spoken to her in person. Her and the Wookiee often pass through our village on their way to the Sewers and the shadowy world outside our gates. Rakghoul territory."

"I suppose with a Wookiee as your best friend, you gotta think you can handle the odd Rakghoul attack." Carth muttered with a shrug.

"And one of your villagers mentioned a few Upworlders passing through here recently?"

"Yes, there's been armored troops, swoop gangs, mercenaries. Ever since those Republic pods crashed here a few days ago." Gendar glanced around. "Are you with any of them? You don't seem to be."

"No." said Zade after a moment's hesitation. "We've kinda got our own agenda. We're mainly looking for-"

"Run, Hendar, Run!"

A loud, piercing cry broke the conversation. Zade and Carth broke away at a sprint instantly, heading towards the village gate and the source. "Thanks, Gendar!" Zade yelled over his shoulder at the bemused Leader.

Outside the gates, an Outcast village came sprinting through the weedy grass, heavily panting, glancing over his shoulder in horror.

"He was a fool to leave the village!" an elderly man at the gate was peering through the wires, a thin sheen of nervous sweat coating his face. "He's not going to make it!"

The man, presumably Hendar, came sprinting over a rise, waving his arms. "Open the gates! There isn't much time!"

The young woman who had caught the Republic soldiers' ears raced to the gate control, but the old man grabbed her wrist. "No! The Rakghouls are too close! If I open the gate they'll break in and kill us all!"

"No!" she wailed. "You can't do this! It isn't fair!"

Like something out of a horror story, three of the ghoulish white creatures came bounding over the rise, hot on the heels of Hendar. Spittle flew from their snarling mouths, clearly intent on devouring the Outcast.

"Open the gates, we'll handle the Rakghouls!" Zade shouted, racing forwards. Hendar and the Rakghouls were still around 50 feet away. If the gatekeeper let them out, they might have time to save Hendar.

The old man considered them, fear etched into his face, then nodded once, turning and opening the gates. Zade and Carth ducked through, and one of the Rakghouls pounced.

Two blaster bolts burned into it's throat from Carth's blaster, as Zade beside him drew his Vibroblade with a flurry. Hendar dashed between the two men, into the village, and then the ghouls were on them.

Zade's sword swished through the air as he stepped back, narrowly avoiding a throat-bound slash from the Rakghouls claws. The blade sliced the clawed hand away, then was plunged to the hilt into the ghouls chest. The final rakghoul had bounded around, attempting to flank them, but three quick shots from Carth's blaster were enough to fell the beast.

The gates clanged shut behind them, and Hendar reached through the bars. "Thank you! You saved my life!"

"Hey, don't mention it." Zade grasped hands with the Outcast. "Just, be a little bit more careful next time, okay?"

The two soldiers pressed on into the hazy darkness, not totally sure of where they were going. There were no billboards that said "This way to Mission Vao", nor were there any signs of anyone except them down here in this sunless world.

They were about to give up hope and head back to the surface, when sprinting footsteps (enhanced by the lack of light) boomed out towards them. "Hey!" it was Mission, and she sounded terrified.

She came sprinting towards them out of the darkness, and as she neared, they could see the tears flowing freely from her eyes. "They've taken him!" she called out, her voice cracking from worry and fear. "No one can help me! Even the Beks can't help me!"

The young Twi'lek threw herself into Zade's arms, crying freely. "Hey, woah." Zade said quietly, giving her a slightly awkward hug. "Calm down, Mission. What's the matter."

"Zaalbar." She said, her crying slowing down. "Gamorrean Slave Hunters… In the sewers." She looked up at him, a single tear gliding down her cheek. "Ya gotta help me. No one else can…."


	5. Chapter 4: The Sewers

**CHAPTER 4**: The Sewers

_"C'mon Zaalbar, get the lead out!" Mission laughed over her shoulder, ducking beneath a set of overhanging pipes. The sewers around them were filled with the sounds of dripping water and groaning metal._

_ "Mission…" growled Zaalbar in his native tongue Shryiwook. "Maybe this isn't such a great idea."_

_ "Stop complainin'." She rolled her eyes, approaching a T-intersection and looking left and right. "We haven't been down here yet. Aren't you excited?"_

_ Zaalbar merely growled and shook his head._

_ Before long, they came to a locked door, Mission running her hands across it's surface. "What do ya reckon is on the other side?" she asked conspiratorially, raising her eyebrows. "Treasure? Weapons? Spice?"_

_ "Rahkghouls."_

_ "Always the optimist, you are…"_

_ Mission knelt down to the locking mechanism, pulling a small screw driver and a hacking chit out of her pocket. She fiddled with the lock, the light on the door went from red to green, then the door slid open soundlessly._

_ 5 burly Gammoreans were sitting at a table inside, squealing noisily over a game of pazaak. The room reeked of filth and booze, and Mission's eyes widened as she realized that these piggish creatures were slavers._

_ With loud grunts and squeals, the Gammoreans rose, 3 of them grabbing their overlarge battle axes, the other two reaching for Blaster Rifles._

_ "Run!"_

_ Mission and Zaalbar turned, sprinting down the corridor. The Gammoreans gave chase, but it seemed that their bulk inhibited them greatly in the winding, narrow sewers. The two scoundrels took a left fork, then a right, and then scurried up a broken ladder onto another level._

_ "Do ya think we lost em, Z?" Mission asked, gasping for breath. She looked up and down the corridor they were in. It appeared deserted._

_ "This is why I didn't want to come." Zaalbar said, clutching at a stitch in his ribs._

_ "Hey, think of it this way. You sure needed the exercise." Mission laughed and gave Zaalbar a playful slap. But the good mood would soon be lifted._

_ A Gammorean patrol party stepped out of a doorway right beside them, grunting excitedly. _

_ There would be no sure escape. They could hear another group of the piggy slavers coming up the side passage behind them. Zaalbar bared his fangs, snarling, and leaped towards the patrol squad. "Get out of here!" he roared to mission, pummeling one of the Gammoreans with his furry fist._

_ "O-Okay!" Mission turned, thinking Zaalbar would be right behind her in a few moments, and sprinted up the corridor. She ran until she felt her lungs were going to burst, then found what she was looking for._

_ The ladder to the Under City._

"I thought he'd be right behind me… But when he didn't come… Oh Zaalbar." She finished her tale, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Hey, it's alright." Zade muttered, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. "We'll help you find him."

"Y-You will?" Mission stuttered, a small but happy smile breaking through her mask of misery. "Really?"

"Of course." Zade replied with a grin. "Just so happens Carth and I have some business in the Sewers, and we could sure use your help."

Mission seemed to brighten up considerably. She casually flicked one of her head tails over her shoulder, tipping Zade a wink. "Like I said when we met, you need anything, I'm your Twi'lek."

"Think you could get us into the Vulkar Base, Mission?" asked Carth.

"Piece a' cake." She grinned. "You help me rescue Zaalbar, I'll get you into the base. Deal?"

"Deal."

With Mission added to the party, the trio set off towards the Sewers. It was eerily quiet now in the Under City, the only sound was the echo of some construction site in the Lower City up above.

"I take it you know how to use this?" Zade withdrew his Blaster Pistol, spun it in his hand, and held it out towards Mission. "It's a little on the blink, but it'll get you out of trouble."

"Do I know how to use a Blaster?" she laughed accepting the pistol. "You keep forgetting I grew up in the Lower City."

They passed between a set of supportive columns, and Zade raised his hand, signaling to stop. His hand dropped to the hilt of his Vibroblade, eyes narrowed. "Someone's coming…"

Footfalls could be heard crunching through the grass towards them, and from the sound, Zade surmised there was around 5 of them. Carth unbuckled the strap holding his pistol down, his hand hovering beside it.

A group of mercenaries moved out of the shadows, walking single file. All were armed with Blaster Carbines, except the man at the front. Even after seeing him just once, the was no mistaking that battle scarred and scowling face, nor the immense Repeater held in his muscular arms.

One of the mercs spotted Zade and co, raising his Carbine. "Stop right there." He said shakily. "Who are you? I'm not afraid to use this!"

"Keep your panties on, Kid." Growled Canderous, shooting the merc a venomous stare. "We've already lost 4 men to the Rakghouls. We don't need to lose any more in a pointless firefight. So lower the damned blaster."

The mercenary did so without hesitation.

"Hey… You're that Mandalorian… The one working for Davik?" Zade asked, stepping forward. "What're you doing down here?"

"Although it's really none of your business, Davik sent us down here to salvage what we could from those Escape Pods." He hocked and spat to the side. "But those stinking Vulkars got here well before us."

"You mentioned trouble with Rakghouls?"

"You find it surprising, to find Rakghouls in the Under City?" he asked sarcastically. "We ran into a pack of them, just down the way." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, then hitched the Repeater, getting a better grip. "We took 'em out. But these mercs Davik sent with me are total greenhorns. I'm amazed that I've still got half of 'em left."

Canderous gestured to his men to follow, walking towards Zade. He stopped just in front of him, giving him a beady stare. "I'm going to give you some advice. If you're here to salvage anything from those pods, you're best bet is to turn around and leave right now."

"And who the hell are you, to tell me what I can do?" Zade glared back, defiantly.

"I'm someone you don't want to get on the wrong side of. Trust me on that."

"You don't seem so tough to me, Mando'a. Fancy not being able to take out a group of Rakghouls…"

A cold silence spread around the group, everyone waiting for the firefight to begin. Canderous glared at Zade, then his face broke into a smirk. "Normally, I'd let you live just long enough to regret those words. But I'm not hanging around down here any longer than I have to. Don't you worry though, we'll be catching up real soon." Canderous looked over his shoulder. "Let's get moving, boys. Double time." Sparing one final look at Zade, Canderous led the group away at a fast trot.

The sewers loomed ahead, and the trio only paused to dispatch a small group of Rakghoul along the way. Mission proved that she could indeed wield a Blaster with ease and precision, but added "I _do _prefer a vibroblade, of course."

Down in the Sewers, it was damp, dingy, and vile. Immeasurable filth dripped down the walls, and the stench was over powering. "Damn… I see why the Gammoreans like to live down here…" Carth muttered, his voice muffled by his hand over his mouth. "Smells worse than a rotting Bantha."

"You'll get used to it." Mission said brightly. She seemed to be completely unperturbed by the foul odor. "The Gammoreans aren't too far away from here. Just down a level or two."

They progressed on in silence, eyes peeled for any signs of the Slavers, or Rakghouls.

"…Hey Carth?" Mission broke the silence, dropping back a few paces to walk beside the older pilot. "You've seen a lot of the Galaxy, right? Tell me, how does Taris measure up compared to other places you've been to?"

"To be honest, Mission, Taris would rate pretty badly." He said gravely. "You've got the rich on top, and the poor being crushed beneath them. There's murder and violence and crime in abundance. Doesn't paint a very pretty picture."

"Well, that's only since the Sith Occupation." She said quickly. "Before that… Well, no. It was still kinda the same."

"Exactly. Not the type of place for a kid on her own to be growing up and living. Even if her best friend is a Wookiee."

"Hey, I'm not a defenseless child!" Mission said, getting a little aggravated. "I look out for Zaalbar just as much as he looks out for me, ya know!"  
>"I'm guessing why that's why we're down here, rescuing him from Gammorean Slavers." Carth replied, firing up as well.<p>

"That was _not _my fault!" Mission yelled, her voice echoing in the corridor. "And who do you think you are? You ain't my father! Although you sure are old enough to be!"

"Don't you snap at me, missy!" Carth began, going red in the face.

"Guys, give it a break." Zade said in exasperation. "C'mon, we're supposed to be working together here. Wait until we find Zaalbar and pick up this swoop accelerator for Gadon. Then you two can duke it out if you want, okay?"

"Fine."

"Hmph!"

Around 20 minutes later, they dropped down into the lower level, eyes peeled for any signs of the Gammoreans. "They're up this way…" Mission said quietly, gesturing towards a T-intersection at the end of the corridor.

"How many?" Carth asked.

"Around 8 of them, if I remember correctly." The two were operating under some unspoken agreement, and were being stiffly polite to one another. Zade personally preferred this than the shouting match earlier.

They rounded a corner and entered a circular chamber, a torrent of foul water falling down from the ceiling through a gap in the platform. Across the room, several fights had broken out. Around 6 Rakghouls were locked in combat with a 4-strong Gammorean Patrol.

Zade threw his arm out, indicating for Carth and Mission to wait, while the ghouls and the pigs tore each other apart. And tear each other apart they did. When the fighting stopped, only one Gammorean remained standing. He glanced up, spotting the trio, letting out an angered squeal. But he quickly fell back, a blaster bolt scorching his forehead, Carth's blaster smoking lightly.

They progressed on, down another corridor and up a side passage, past the room where Mission and Zaalbar had first met the Pigs. A door ahead of them opened, and the last four Gammoreans game shrieking and grunting out. The air was thick with laser fire, and the ringing clash of Axe against Blade.

After a few moments of hectic battle, the final Gammorean fell to the ground. Zade sheated his Vibroblade, then nodded for the other two to follow. They progressed down the corridor, eventually coming to a rather old looking door.

"Hey… Look at this…" Mission muttered, approaching it. "It's one of the old-style manual locks. Regular spikes won't work on this, but luckily, I whipped up a little device to handle doors like this. Gimme a sec."

She fiddled with the lock for a few moments, and it slid open with a loud clanging. The room inside was a shambles of broken furniture. Zaalbar, it seemed, hadn't been too happy about being locked in a cell.

"Zaalbar!" Mission ran forward and hugged Zaalbar around the middle, clearly overjoyed to find her friend alive and well. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"I'm fine." He growled, patting her on the back. "I knew you'd find me."

"I couldn't have done it without Zade and Carth." She said, releasing her friend and gesturing towards the two Republicans. "They're the ones you need to thank."

Zaalbar paused, sizing up the two soldiers, then looked at Zade. "Thank you. I owe you my life." He rumbled. "And so, I will swear a Life Debt to you."

"A… A life debt?" Mission raised an eyebrow, her happy smile dropping a little. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"What do you mean 'life debt'?" asked Zade, equally confused.

"If it wasn't for you, I would have been sold to an off-world slaver, and entered a life of servitude." Zaalbar replied. "So, I will repay you the only way I know how; With a life debt."

"A Wookiee Life Debt means that Zaalbar will follow you wherever you go, and protect you whenever he has to." Mission surmised for him. "And if Zaalbar's staying with you, I guess that means ya got me as well. Two for the price of one." She grinned, folding her arms.

"I'm glad to have you both on board." Zade said with a smile and a nod. "Now, all we need to do is get into that Vulkar Base."

"Oh, right!" Mission exclaimed. "I totally forgot about that. Are you fit to travel Zaalbar?"

"Of course." He said stoutly. But Zade had noticed the way the Wookiee was clutching his flank.

The soldier stepped towards him, pointing at his hand. "You got an injury there?" he asked, and Zaalbar pulled his hand away, revealing a rather nasty blaster scorch. "You're gonna need to get that looked at." He paused, summing up how much time he had left, and trying to determine the extent of Zaalbar's wounds. "Are you able to make it back to the Beks by yourself? We've got an urgent task to do down here, and I don't want to have to double back if it's avoidable."

Zaalbar nodded. "Yes, I know a shortcut back through the sewers. But I can still fight."

"The three of us can handle this one." Carth said quietly. "Besides, we just fought off a whole Gammorean slaver gang to find you. And with a nasty injury like that, there's every likelihood that you won't make it through a firefight with the Vulkars."

"Exactly." Zade concurred. "You just get back to the Beks. Let Gadon know that his Swoop Accelerator is as good as recovered."

Limping slightly, Zaalbar trundled away up the passage. The trio of Zade, Carth and Mission took a brief moment to collect themselves and refresh. "How far to the Vulkar Base?" Zade asked, handing Mission a canteen of water. "And what's the security like there?"

"It's not far from here, actually." She replied. "They've got a state of the art energy field blocking the passage, and only those with the right passcodes can get through. Don't worry, I've got 'em." She said with a small grin, passing the flask to Carth. "I picked the pocket of a Vulkar who'd had a _little_ to much to drink at Javyar's Cantina one night. After that, they station a droid sentry at the door. That's about it. Only real problem will be the giant Rancor that nests near there."

Carth surprised them all by spitting his mouthful of water onto the ground, coughing and choking. "G-giant Rancor?" he said, struggling to breath. "You never mentioned a giant Rancor before… How 'giant' are we talking?"

"I'd say at least twice the size of a usual Rancor." Mission seemed scarily unperturbed by this. "It's big and strong, but not all that bright. I've managed to sneak past it before. I'm sure there won't be any problems."

Zade shook his head, silently sighing. He couldn't help but feel that something would indeed go wrong. A giant Rancor seemed to be a pretty massive problem in and of itself to him.


End file.
